llAGNIFICENT SCENERY. 
627 
some hundred feet high, and to the south by 
the remainder of the declivity, which is seen 
undisturbed in its place, having the same la- 
titude as the opposite boundary. On as- 
cending the Ghaut, the view from all points 
of the ascent is described as really grand. Dr. 
Benza does not recollect having seen any- 
where such a wild, yet magnificent, spectacle 
as the ravine formed by the tw'o hills — the one 
of the Avalanche chain, the other one of the 
eastern range of the Koondahs. The thick 
impervious jungle, extending its whole 
length, occupies also the lower half of the 
steep declivity of both the hills, and is then 
succeeded by the usual carpet-like covering 
of dense turf, which extends to the very pin- 
nacles of their prodigious altitudes. While 
ascending this pass, at every turn of the 
road a most striking and. superb coup 
ff’ceeYpresentsitself — the nearly vertical side 
of the Avalanche hill, with its precipitous 
battlement-like summit — the enormous 
prismatic masses, three or four in number, 
bursting, as it were, through the turf-cover- 
ed soil of the steep declivity of the hill ; 
one of which, in particular, looks like a 
huge martello- tower stuck to the nearly ver- 
tical side of the mountain — while the mag- 
nificent ravine to the left completes the 
striking view before us. This assemblage 
of wild and grand objects cannot but pro- 
duce sensations of wonder and admiration. 
On arriving at the gorge of the pass, of 
course the view’, becoming more expanded 
and enlarged, has a superior degree of beau- 
ty, particularly that of the extensive undu- 
lated tableland, of which the Doodabetta 
group to the east, and the Koondah and 
Himigala ranges to the west, are the bound- 
aries. '1 he expression undulated table-land 
is used, because such is the appearance 
of that tract of the country, seen from 
such a height, although many of these 
apparent undulations have thousands of 
feet of elevation. The rock composing 
the Avalanche hill is hornblende slate in 
the declivities, w^hich passes into sienitic 
granite, and to true granite at the summit, 
with much mica. In ascending from the 
bungalow to the gorge, Dr. Beuza observed 
basaltic dykes, in more than one place, 
and thick beds of pegmatite. But when 
ascending from the gorge to the summit of 
the Avalanche hill, the greatest number 
of the projecting rocks was granite, mica 
having entirely replaced hornblende. In 
the opposite hill of the Himigala range, 
is seen a pretty cascade, which, although 
of no great dimensions, j^et, having such stu- 
pendous scenery as a back ground, and the 
water precipitating itself down eleven steps 
formed by the strata of hornblende slate, 
making as many cascades, has, if not a 
grand, at least a romantic effect. Judg- 
ing from the numerous rolled masses of 
basalt in the bed of the Koondah river, 
into which the cascades fall, trap must be 
of frequent occurrence in these hills which 
join the Avalanche with the Himgala range. 
Descending a mile along the banks of the 
Koondah river, the traveller joined the new 
road. Itsfoot, facing the Avalanche, is washed 
by a small river, the protruding rocks in the 
bed ofwhich are granite, are composed of fel- 
spar, golden mica, and a little smoky quartz. 
It is a fine-grained rock, of a greyish black 
colour on account of the dark hue of the 
quartz. Half way up the hill are three large 
basaltic blocks, implanted in the soil, the 
fracture of which is glimmering, on account 
of the numerous needle-shaped crystals 
of augite entering into its composition. In 
more than one place thick beds of black 
soil underlay the vegetable mould, on the 
declivities of hills, and always in the low 
valleys. Five or six miles from the eastern 
Ghaut, we come to a round backed hill, all 
formed of the lateritic iron ore, precisely si- 
milar to that in other localities on these hills. 
Descending this hill, the author came to a val- 
ley, which, on account of its great length, is 
called Long Valley. The greater number of 
blocks jutting above the soil (at this side of 
the Koondahs the hills have the same round- 
ed appearance as those of the Neelgherries), 
on both sides of the valley, are schistous 
diorite, mixed with many others which are 
granitic, composed of the three usual mine- 
rals. The rocks from this place to Sispara 
are granite, decomposing and decomposed. 
